1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a device for fixing the foot onto a sporting article of the snowboard, skate board or roller skate type, of the type comprising a boot, a base, catching members, rear ankle retaining assemblies as well as means for attaching it onto the selected sporting article.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
Such fixing devices intended to be mounted onto sporting articles such as snowboards are known, and they comprise a base, equipped with vertical retaining means for the boot, that rests directly on top of the sporting article, and at its center, it has a circular recess, along the upper edges of which is applied a supporting disc which is itself affixed onto the sporting article by means of screws. The upper edges of the circular opening of the base as well as the lower edges of the supporting disc have notched surfaces that cooperate with each other to allow, when the screws are loosened, the orientation of the foot to be adjusted with respect to the axis of the sporting article so that the device can be adapted to various practices and to a variety of users. The means for retaining the boot on the base are constituted of straps, as is the case, for instance, with snowboard bindings for flexible boots, also well known by the term shells, the straps being generally two in number and positioned on top of the boot, one near the instep and the other near the toe, each such strap generally comprising two separate sections, each of the sections being fixed by one of its ends to the base by virtue of anchoring means, constituted, for example, of screws, that cooperate with the drill holes present in the two vertical walls extending the base on either side of the foot. The strap sections can be connected to each other via a tightening system borne by their other ends and are substantially similar to a hook used for tightening alpine ski boots, which are also well-known.
Such a device describing the prior state of the art is disclosed, for example, in the patent document WO 93/14835. It requires manual intervention by the user when the boot is put on or taken off, the user being forced to bend in order to tighten the two straps on top of the boot once it has been positioned on the base. In addition, such a device forces the user to take off the boot and use a screwdriver if it is desired to change the angular adjustment of the bindings.
Other devices, such as described in the patent document WO 96/05894, for example, add, beneath the sole of the boot, a rigid plate that projects on either side of the boot or therebelow and cooperates with the retaining means affixed to the sporting article. Although the configuration of these catching members provides a simple solution to the problem of putting on the boot, which can thus be done without using the hands, the presence of a plate beneath the sole causes the boot to stiffen, thereby adversely impacting its comfort, especially while walking.